Home For Christmas
by runwild14
Summary: In which Clarisse's holiday plans fall through and Percy offers to let her spend Christmas with them.
1. Copyright

Copyright © 2015 runwild14.

All rights reserved.

No part of this story or any of its contents may be reproduced, copied, modified or adapted, without the prior written consent of the author, unless otherwise indicated for stand-alone materials.


	2. Tis The Season

Copyright © 2015 runwild14. All rights reserved

 _Prompt: "Clarrise's mom can't pick her up for Christmas, so she has to stay at Percy's house"_

 **Disclaimer - I don't own PJO and I never will**

* * *

 **Chapter 1**

Really, Clarisse shouldn't be surprised. As a matter of fact, with the way that her holiday season is going so far, she should have expected this to happen. Still, she can't quite mask the feeling of abandonment as she listens to her mother explain why they have to cancel their plans. It seeps into her voice as she tries to find some way to salvage what little time together they have each year.

Cause trust her when she says it's not a lot. Between going to school and saving the world, she doesn't have much time off. When she does, she makes an effort to spend it with her mom; although lately, that's been a little difficult, what with her mom getting shacked up and having new kids and all.

"I can come with you guys mom," she says. "It's not a big deal."

Except it is a big deal. This holiday season was supposed to be about the two of them. They were going to hang out in New York together, enjoying the sights and each other's company. Instead, her mom decided it would be a great opportunity to go on a cruise with her new family.

She hears her mom sigh on the other end of the call, and she knows she won't be seeing her for Christmas this year, even before her mom replies. "I'm sorry honey, I really am, but we were only able to get three tickets, and they're sold out now."

"Oh," Clarisse says. "Okay."

She tries to keep her voice steady as she chokes out, "That's fine mom. You guys have fun. Happy holidays."

She hits the end call button before she has to listen to any more excuses. Yeah, she feels a little neglected - so sue her. She just got tossed aside like yesterday's paper so her mom could spend the holidays with her perfect family. Yet another reason she's found it so easy to relate to Annabeth lately.

I mean, it'd be a little nice to get some recognition every once in a while - they did just save the world, after all. Again. She's not asking for a parade or anything like that, but to be included in her own family would be a nice start.

Letting loose another quiet sigh of frustration, Clarisse picks up her pace. She's a little bit upset, and the fact that its winter in New York isn't helping much. It's pretty freaking cold out, and she could really go for a nice mug of hot chocolate. Luckily for her, she knows just the place.

* * *

"Crap."

Her favorite little coffee shop, the one tucked away on the corner near the hotel she's staying at, is completely dark. The door is shut, the little "CLOSED" sign staring back at Clarisse, mocking her.

It's just another bit of bad luck, but _come on_ , even she has to get a little lucky every once in a while, right? It seems like the Fates just have it out for her today, which is just great, _really_ , cause it's not like she wanted to enjoy the holiday season anyway. No, it'd be too relaxing to be able to enjoy something like that so easily - gotta put in a bit of work for it.

She turns to leave the coffee shop, determined to have something go her way today, when she is suddenly knocked to the ground. Her breath is taken away - and not by the person in front of her like in those stupid romance novels - when she hits the ground, and her instincts immediately kick in. She's just about to lash out at whatever knocked her down when the cause of her fall speaks.

" _Clarisse?_ "

She almost cries - she can't possibly be _this_ unlucky. It's just not fair that nothing works out for her. It's not fair that _he_ had to be the one to bump into her today. Why couldn't it be someone she actually likes? Or, at the very least, someone she can put up with?

"The hell do you want, Prissy?"

She hopes he'll just apologize so they can go their separate ways, cause really with this luck she needs to just go back to the hotel and sleep until its tomorrow - she has enough experience to know that there's some unspoken rule that bad luck can't carry over to the next day.

But of course she wasn't that lucky.

"I live here, Clarisse. What are _you_ doing here?"

He looks confused, as if he can't fathom why she would possibly want to leave camp. _Idiot_. She has a family too - granted, it's not much of one, but it still counts. Just because she acts mean doesn't mean she hates everything.

"None of your business punk," she replies, not at all in the mood to have a heart-to-heart with him. She wants to leave it at that, but he's determined to get some kind of explanation out of her. Ignoring all of her attempts to end the conversation, he presses on.

"Actually, Clarisse, it kind of is."

There's something in his voice, something in the way he says that, that makes her head snap up. It's almost as if he truly cares, almost as if they're friends - but that can't be true. He hates her. She hates him. They're enemies - that's how it's always been.

"Seriously Percy," she says. "Drop it." She's had so much go against her today, and she really just isn't emotionally ready to put up her usual cold front.

Never one to give up, the idiot refuses to take a hint. "No. I'm not gonna drop it, Clarisse," he says, stepping closer. "What's bothering you?" He asks so softly, she thinks at first that she imagined it. She shakes her head, looks to the side, and backs away from him. He follows relentlessly, and it's only when he repeats the question that it finally registers.

And then she breaks.

The dam that she built up shatters, and there's no containing the wall of emotions escaping her. Once she starts talking, everything comes rushing out all at once. She doesn't cry - thank the gods - so she at least retains a shred of dignity, but it's still pretty bad. Percy, for his part, just stands there and listens to her vent, not once interrupting. He looks a little bit unsure of himself, like he's never seen a girl have a complete melt down in front of him - and to be fair, he probably hasn't. She knows that they're in a very public place, and she's making a huge scene, but really - she just doesn't care anymore. She's had a really, _really_ bad day.

Once she's done, she expects him to leave - an honestly, she wouldn't even blame him. She waits for him to awkwardly pat her on the back, before telling her it'll be okay and continuing on with his day. So it comes as a bit of a shock when he says, "Want to come spend the holidays with us?"

She doesn't really give it much thought, which explains why she's even more surprised to hear herself respond.

"Sure."

* * *

 **A/N - So this is the first chapter of my entry into the Fanfic "Yuletide" contest on Wattpad. I'm expecting it to be about three chapters when all is said and done. Let me know what you guys thought of it, and don't forget to vote if you enjoyed! Also, I'm struggling a little bit with the title for this book (the current one is most likely temporary), so any suggestions would be greatly appreciated. Thanks!**

 **Until next time**  
 **-runwild14**


	3. To Be Jolly

Copyright © 2015 runwild14. All rights reserved

* * *

 **Chapter 2**

By the time they reach Percy's apartment, Clarisse has already mentally berated herself about fifty times. Why in the actual _hell_ did she agree to this? It was such a completely un-Clarisse thing to do that she finds herself struggling with how to deal with it - and that's not really something she has a ton of experience with. She's known for knowing what to do in every situation - so to be stumped like this is really screwing with her head. And she's had just about enough of that for the day.

She's in the process of coming up with some lame excuse to get out of this - she's thinking maybe something along the lines of, _"Sorry, I can't stay because Chiron wants to spend the holidays with me"_ \- when the door swings open and she's immediately swept into a warm hug. _Sally_ , of course. She immediately deserts the idea of leaving, knowing that it would only hurt the woman who has become much like a loving godmother to many of the kids at camp. Also, Clarisse's pretty sure that she smells cookies, and Sally's baking is incredible - she wouldn't miss out on that for the world.

She allows Sally to usher her into the apartment, albeit a tad bit reluctantly. It's not that she doesn't love Sally, but she still _really_ doesn't want to be here right now. She just wants to go home and call up Chris and vent to him. He'd understand what's going on with her right now - which would be great, actually, because she has no idea. A slight smile stretches across her face as she imagines the scene, but it's quickly replaced by a scowl when Percy speaks.

"That smile looks a little dirty there, Clarisse."

If looks could kill, he'd definitely be six feet under right about now. The glare Clarisse is giving him is boiling with anger, although he pretends not to notice. "Shut your mouth Prissy," she growls, "or I'll run you through with Maimer Jr." Feeling like she has gotten the message through to him, she stomps over to the couch and throws herself down on it with a sigh.

He completely ignores her threat though, continuing as if she hadn't ever opened her mouth. "We here in the Jackson household don't condone vulgar thoughts such as the ones you were surely having moments ago," he said, a goofy smile slowly appearing on his face. "If you fail to meet the rules and regulations, I'm afraid we will have to ask you to leave."

Clarisse simply rolls her eyes and turns away, deciding that she'll just try to ignore everything out of his stupid mouth. Turns out, that's a lot easier said than done. She barely has any time to wonder where Sally ran off too before Percy begins. For the next _three hours_ , he relentlessly pesters her with stupid remarks and questions. She had hoped that after a little while he'd tire himself out, but he's still going pretty strong

"Why are you in New York?"

"Did you know New York is also known as the Empire State?"

"And that its motto is _Excelsior_ , which means 'ever upward'?"

"Why were you crying earlier?"

"Oh and guess what! I just found out today that we have a state song! Isn't that great?"

"Wanna hear me sing it?"

"Alright here goes."

" _I love New York,_

 _I love New York,_

 _I love New York,_

 _There isn't another like it._

 _No matter where you go._

 _And nobody can compare it._

 _It's win and place and show._

 _New York is special._

 _New York is different cause there's no place else_

 _on Earth quite like New York and that's why,_

 _I love New York,_

 _I love New York,_

 _I love New Yooooooork"_

Once he starts singing, all hope is lost. Not only is his signing just absolutely awful, but he keeps repeating the same thing over and over again for the rest of the day. She is about ten seconds away from lunging for his throat when the door to the apartment bursts open.

"Perseus Jackson, I swear to all the gods that if you do not _shut your mouth_ I will take my dagger and shove it so far up your - oh hey Clarisse."

Clarisse doesn't even mull over the fact that the perfect daughter of Athena was actually about to curse. Instead, she simply thanks the gods for Annabeth Chase, and lets out a huge sigh of relief as Percy immediately stops talking. Annabeth closes the door behind her and steps completely into the apartment, before looking over at Clarisse with an incredibly sympathetic expression.

"I'm so sorry you had to put up with that. He found all the cookies that Sally made and now he's on a huge sugar rush - I got here as soon as I could."

Percy looks up at her with a wounded look on his face. "You know; you don't have to treat me like a child - I'm a grown man." He puffs his chest out proudly, a look of complete concentration taking over his face.

"Then act like one," she says, turning away from him to hang up her coat. His posture deflates and he nods meekly, returning to the spot he had occupied on the couch moments earlier.

With Percy quiet, Clarisse is finally given some time to think; however, that time doesn't last very long. Soon enough, Annabeth turns to her with a questioning look on her face, brows furrowed as she tries to come up with a reason for Clarisse's being at the apartment.

When she fails to think of something, she decides to just ask Clarisse herself. "Why are you here?" Realizing how blunt that must have sounded, she rushes on before Clarisse can respond. "Not that I'm not happy to see you - cause I am - but I mean I figured you'd be spending the holidays with your mom..."

She trails off upon catching the look on Clarisse's face and drops the subject. Turning, she looks back at Percy and claps her hands together. "Time to make Christmas cookies guys," she exclaims, before heading off towards the kitchen. Percy, of course, is all for the idea. Clarisse, on the other hand, isn't too thrilled about it. When she begins to make up an excuse to go off by herself, Percy grabs her arm and begins pulling her after him.

"Come on, Clarisse, it's Christmas Eve! Time to get into the holiday spirit!"

* * *

A couple hours later, after they've finished baking the cookies and have begun "taste-testing" them, Annabeth pulls Clarisse off into the hallway.

Before Clarisse can ask what she's doing, Annabeth begins to speak. She doesn't actually turn to face Clarisse, but Clarisse can feel the raw emotion in her words.

"I'm assuming you don't know this, but I was also supposed to be spending the holidays with my family. Don't get me wrong - I love Percy and all - but I haven't spent time with my family in forever. So you can probably imagine how ecstatic I was when I discovered that I would be getting to spend the happiest time of the year with them."

She pauses and lets out a long sigh.

"And then something came up."

At this she lets out a harsh chuckle before finally turning to face Clarisse.

"Something always seems to come up," she whispers softly.

Clarisse can only nod, unable to find words to express her disjointed emotions at the moment. Noticing this, Annabeth continues.

"So what I'm trying to say, Clarisse, is that I get it. And if you ever need someone to talk to, I'll be here. Okay?"

Clarisse just nods, overcome with the fact that she's somehow found herself surrounded by people who actually _care_ about her.

Annabeth smiles at her in response and turns back towards the living room. As she walks away, she says, "Take as much time as you need. The world can wait for a little bit."

And then she leaves Clarisse to decipher her jumbled emotions. But this time, Clarisse doesn't find that task to be so daunting.

* * *

 **A/N - There it is! Chapter 2 is finally complete. Sorry if it seems a bit rushed, but I have to have this entire story finished by Dec 17th - which is Thursday by the way. Anyways, thoughts on the chapter in general? How bout the ending? Let me know what you thought of it and leave a vote or a comment if you enjoyed!**

 **Peace**  
 **-runwild14**


	4. Fa La La La La

Copyright © 2015 runwild14. All rights reserved

Warning: Buckle your seat-belts kiddos. It's about to get real.

* * *

 **Chapter 3**

Clarisse has her Christmas Eve dinner alone in her room. She knows that it's a really rude thing to do - eating by herself when she's been welcomed so unconditionally into their home, that is - but he can't help it. She's not in a great place emotionally at the moment, and she can't let her façade slip that easily.

She's been putting on this façade for years now and it has gotten to the point where it's just a part of her. At first, she just used it to dodge the questions about her arrival at camp, but after a little while she just never bothered dropping it. And now, what's the point, really? Everyone already sees her as a bully, so it's not like changing anything would help. They'd probably all think her real personality was the fake one.

Clarisse lets out a groan of frustration and drops her head into her hands. It hadn't really caught up to her until this moment, but she's just beginning to realize how much she screwed up all those years ago.

She regrets a lot of her actions in the past. Like, _a lot_ of them. But she's realistic enough to know that there's nothing she can do to change the past. Still, on days like this - when her emotions are completely out of whack - she can't help but wonder how she could have been so _stupid_. And the more days she has like these, the more the guilt eats away at her.

 _Gods_. It Christmas _freaking_ Eve and here she is, sitting alone in a guest room and wallowing in self-pity. She mentally forces herself out of the funk she's worked her mind into and decides to rejoin the festivities going on in the living room.

When she reemerges from the hallway that leads to her room, Annabeth looks up from the board game she is currently destroying Percy in. When they make eye contact, she raises her eyebrows in a silent question, but Clarisse simply ignores it and joins them on the floor.

Throughout the rest of the night, Clarisse partakes in the board games, but doesn't say much more than what is necessary for the game. Although both Percy and Annabeth notice this, they thankfully choose not to comment on it.

Finally, at around 11:00, they decide to call it a night. They go towards their separate rooms with Percy's closing words following them to their beds.

"Saaaanta Claus is comin to town, Saaaanta Claus is comin to town, Santa Claus is cominggggg to tooooooown..."

* * *

The next morning, Clarisse is surprised to find she is the first one up. Well, besides Sally of course. She enters the kitchen to find the older woman already slaving away on their Christmas lunch.

Muttering a quick good morning, Clarisse attempts to scoot by Sally and grab some breakfast, but she is stopped when Sally responds.

"Clarisse."

One word. Eight letters. Something she hears on a daily basis. But it's the way Sally says it that makes Clarisse turn to look at her. When Sally has gained her full attention, she continues.

"Your mother called last night," she says in a soft voice. When Clarisse's head snaps up in shock, Sally decides to elaborate. "She explained the change of plans and I informed her that you would be staying with us for the remainder of the holidays. I hope you're okay with that?"

She phrases the last bit like a question, so Clarisse feels obligated to respond. Still, she is unable to give a coherent response because she is still reeling from the expected news. Her mom actually called here? _But then why couldn't she just call me_ , Clarisse thinks to herself sadly.

"Clarisse?"

She looks up and notices that Sally is still waiting for a response to her previous question. Quickly, she says, " Y-yeah that's fine, thanks."

She's about to head back to her room when Sally speaks again.

"If there's ever anything bothering you," she begins, "you have people around you that are willing and happy to help. You're not alone, Clarisse."

Clarisse stands stock-still, wondering again how Sally can see through her so easily. It's like she can read her mind, and she always knows what to say to really get through to her.

She mutely nods her head, before leaving the kitchen and numbly making her way back to her room.

What a way to start Christmas.

* * *

Two hours later, after everyone has begrudgingly dragged themselves out of bed - with the exception of Percy, who leaps out of bed like a dog - Sally decides that they all need some fresh air. She goes with them to Central Park, which -surprisingly enough - isn't that crowded.

As soon as they arrive, Percy drops down into the freshly fallen snow and sighs in absolute contentment. Annabeth glances down at him and shakes her head, laughing softly.

"Planning on staying there all day?" she asks quietly. He hums softly in response, and drags her down to lay by his side. "Now I am," he responds. She blushes a bright red and turns away from him, causing him to reach out and pull her back to his side.

"Ugh, you guys make me sick."

Clarisse's comment successfully snaps them out of their moment, and Percy looks up to scowl at her. Upon seeing her smile, he says, "Don't act like you're so innocent, Clarisse. We've all seen how you and Chris are together." Her smile immediately turns into a glare as she stalks towards him threateningly.

"Watch it punk. I'll beat your -"

"Okay guys, that's enough," Annabeth says, getting up from her spot on the ground, much to Percy's disappointment. "Gods, it's Christmas! Can't you just get along for one day?" Neither one of them answers; instead, they turn away from each other and walk in opposite directions.

"Well," Annabeth says under her breath, letting out a resigned sigh, "this should be interesting."

* * *

"You seriously can't even make a freaking snowball right? Come on Clarisse."

"Well it's not my fault I didn't grow up in the most wintery city on the planet!"

"Technically, it's not even the most wintery. And also, it is your fault."

"That doesn't even make sense you idiot."

"Wow, good one."

"I'll show you a good on-"

"Alright, alright, enough fresh air," Sally mumbles, stepping in to break up yet another soon-to-be-fight. "Time to head home."

Percy and Clarisse both back down from where they are once again close to fighting, still heatedly glaring at each other. Following Sally to the car, Clarisse thinks of the few choice words she didn't get to say to him because of the children around, and puts them in her back pocket for later.

The car ride back to the apartment is silent, save for the Christmas carols playing on the radio. By the time they return home, everyone is in a much lighter mood - because really who doesn't get happy listening to Christmas songs - but there is still the same underlying tension in the air.

Once, they're all inside, Annabeth pulls Percy to the side and drags him into his room. Shoving him against a wall, she glares at him for a good minute before she opens her mouth to speak.

"Why can't you just be civil with each other?"

"It's not my fault she's a b-"

"Don't say that Percy," Annabeth cuts him off. "She has things to deal with things that you know nothing about. Don't judge her unless you understand." Softening her tone, she continues. "Just go talk to her Percy, that's all I'm asking. Okay?"

He nods his head silently and then opens the door to leave the room. As he is walking out, she says, "Just go easy on her, alright?"

He doesn't respond as he walks back into the living room in search of Clarisse. As much as he hates to admit it, Annabeth's right - again. He also has been getting a little tired of their constant bickering, but he never felt the need to do anything about it because he didn't think talking would fix anything. But now, if what Annabeth told him is true - and he doesn't doubt that it is - then maybe Clarisse would be willing to finally clear up things between them.

But before anything can get done, he needs to find her. He wanders into the kitchen and finds her sitting at the table eating an apple. He almost laughs, but restrains himself. Clarisse, having glanced up when he entered the room, notices anyway and glares at him. Percy holds his hands up in surrender and leans against the counter next to the table. A couple moments pass before either one of them speaks, but when the silence ends, a torrent is released.

"We need to talk," Percy says carefully, assessing Clarisse like a person would a wild animal. He has no idea where this conversation is going to go, and he's almost regretting coming into the kitchen and confronting her, but he knows it had to be done eventually.

"Then talk," she mumbles, taking another bite of the apple in her hand so she doesn't have to speak.

"It's about today," he claims, still treading lightly. Clarisse notices this and quickly fakes a lunge at him, causing Percy to jump back in shock and fear and hit his head on the cabinets behind him. Immediately, she doubles over with laughter at the look on his face. "Relax," she chokes out through bursts of laughter. "I won't bite."

Percy chuckles quietly, mumbling "I wouldn't be too sure about that" under his breath.

Deciding he needs to just dive into the conversation, he asks, "What's up with you?" Clarisse looks at him, confusion evident in her expression. "Um, nothing much - just sitting here in your kitchen eating an apple. What's up with you?"

"Stop playing games, Clarisse. You know what I was asking," he insists, slowly moving towards her. "No, Percy, I don't," she counters, still completely perplexed by his words. He lets out a large sigh before explaining in an extremely condescending tone, "What I _mean_ , is what is going on with you? Why are you acting the way you are? What's affected your life so much that you change your entire personality - that you change who you are?"

"What makes that any of your business," she spits out, attempting to leave the room. Percy cuts her off though, making it clear that she isn't leaving until he gets answers.

"It's my business when it starts affecting my girlfriend. It's my business when it starts affecting my life. It's my business when you're hurting and won't let anyone help you. Let me help you, Clarisse."

She stares at him as he speaks, noticing not only his words, but the passion and emotion with which he delivers them. He truly _does_ care about what's bothering her - it's such a foreign feeling to her. Besides Chris, nobody really seems to notice if she's unhappy. It's nice to feel welcomed again - so nice that she begins spilling her life story to someone she thinks of as an enemy.

"When I was six, my mom remarried. And the guy she married wasn't willing to give up his house to come live with us so he basically forced us to live with him. There was no warning, no _"Oh by the way honey, we're going to be packing up all of our stuff and leaving soon."_ My mom just came in to my room one day while I was sitting there drawing, and told me to grab anything dear to me because we were getting on the next plane to San Diego. I used to love doing that by the way - just sitting in one place and drawing. Letting the picture flow from my head to the tip of my pencil, and out onto the paper, into the real world. It was my escape from life. I didn't want my mom to marry. I was happy with our family - the only thing that would make me happier would be if my real dad came back, but of course, that didn't happen. Still, I felt like we were betraying my dad by leaving - now, I know better. He betrayed _us_ by letting this man have my mom - it's part of the reason my dad and I have such a fragile relationship. Hell, he's lucky I let him in my life at all."

She pauses, wiping away a tear from the corner of her eye.

"The first time he hit my mom was when I was eight. The first time he whipped her, I was ten. The first time, and last time, that he hit my mother on the head with a shattered beer bottle, I was thirteen."

She looks up at Percy now, a haunted look in her eyes, and takes a deep breath before beginning again.

"I killed a person for the first time that night. Murder, Percy. I ended the life of a human being when I was thirteen. I couldn't stand by and watch anymore as my mom was brought to the brink of death every night. I just couldn't do it. So I grabbed a knife from the kitchen drawer. And I-I-I stabbed him."

By now, Clarisse is crying heavily, tears rolling down her cheeks, but she needs to finish this story - for her own sake.

"You don't ever really get over that, Percy. I took away the right that man had to life. And I didn't have that right. I shouldn't have been the one to decide his fate. But I did. And it is something I regret to this day. Because guess what, Percy. Life isn't fair. And when you think you're doing the right thing, sometimes - sometimes you're doing the worst."

Her hands are shaking, voice numb, as she tells the rest.

"My mother was diagnosed with brain cancer when I was five. She married that man, took all of that abuse, so that we would have enough money to pay for the treatment. I took away years of my mother's life that night. She's thirty-five right now. The doctors say she won't live to see forty. The cancer has progressed too far. And it's my fault. That's why I want to make the most of all of the time we have left together - but I can't. She won't even look at me half the time I'm with her, and when she does, it's not in the way she used to. When she looks at me, I can see it in her eyes. Every time our eyes meet, she is thinking of that night - thinking of the man I killed - thinking of the monster I am."

She takes a deep breath to attempt to calm herself when she finishes.

"That's why I changed who I am, Percy. If you were a monster like me, wouldn't you want to change too?"

* * *

 **A/N - Mother of God that was deep stuff. What'd you think of Clarisse's confession? And on Christmas Day too? How do you think Percy's gonna handle it?**

 **The deadline for this contest is tomorrow, so the next chapter will likely be the final one. If not, it will be a filler before the final one.**

 **IMPORTANT: Do you want the ending to this to be tragic or happy? I can do either from this point, but I need to know by tomorrow.**

 **Thanks for reading, and leave a vote or comment if you enjoyed.**

 **Enjoy the rest of your day**

 **-runwild14**


	5. La La La La

Copyright © 2015 runwild14. All rights reserved

 **IMPORTANT: I POSTED A DOUBLE UPDATE TODAY...MAKE SURE YOU READ CHAPTER 3 BEFORE THIS**

* * *

 **Chapter 4**

For a few moments, Percy simply stands in front of Clarisse in shock, trying to process everything she had just said. When it finally registers that she's looking at him, waiting for his response, he unfreezes and tries to put his thoughts into words.

"You did what you had to do, Clarisse. Trust me. I've been through an experience similar to that, and if I could've found the courage to do what you did, I would have. I get why you feel guilty - really, I do. But you have to understand that you had no way of knowing. Your mother never told you about her illness, and I'm sure it was done in an effort not to worry you. What happened wasn't your fault. It's just life - and it's shitty and it really sucks, but that's how it is. I hate to be the one to say this, but you know as well as I do that everything in our world happens for a reason. You were meant to kill that sorry excuse for a man. And who knows, your mom may live out her life and die of old age. Doctors get it wrong sometimes too. My point is, I know you feel like you screwed up, but you _didn't_ , Clarisse. You did what nobody else had the courage to do. You did the right thing."

Clarisse glances down at the ground and mutters, "I don't _feel_ like I did the right thing."

Percy steps forward, sensing her walls being rebuilt around her. He's not going to let her shut him, and everyone else, out again. Not now - now that he knows.

"I know, Clarisse. I know. But you did, and everyone knows it. Even your mom." She snaps her head up in shock and meets his gaze. "That isn't true. Don't lie to me like I'm a child, Percy. I know the truth. And that's not it."

"Except it _is_ the truth. Deep down, your mother knows you did the right thing, but she's ashamed. She's ashamed that she couldn't do it herself, that she put you - her daughter, and a thirteen-year-old child - in that situation. She's ashamed that she even married that man in the first place. But she's doing what you have been doing your entire life. She's hiding. Hiding behind a facade. Behind the wall that she's built up against you. That's the look that you see in her eyes every time she looks at you. She's not ashamed of you. She's ashamed of herself. Of her failure as a parent - as a mother."

Clarisse's tears have returned in full force, but this time for an entirely different reason. It sounded far-fetched at first, but the longer Percy talks, the more she sees what has been right in front of her eyes for so long. She finds herself beginning to believe what he's saying.

"Talk to her, Clarisse. As soon as you can, ask to meet with her somewhere. And talk to her - about everything. Tell her what you're thinking - what you're feeling. Help her understand. Because she's probably as confused as you are. And you're very close to losing her, Clarisse - not to the cancer, but to the uncertainty, the doubt. And your mother is one person you cannot afford to lose."

And she sees it now - she really does. All this time, she's been convincing herself it was her fault, changing her entire lifestyle to try and fix something that was never even broken. She just never looked at it from a different perspective - and that's all she ever needed.

It's funny how the things we need the most in life often come from the places where we least expect them.

Overcome with emotion, she steps forward and pulls Percy into a tight hug, surprising both him and herself. After a couple seconds, she steps back and looks him in the eyes. "Thank you," she whispers quietly. "For everything."

Those two words carry so much weight, a weight that she's been carrying by herself all of her life. _Maybe_ , she thinks to herself, _it's time to let someone else share the burden_.

Percy just smiles and says, "It's not a problem, Clarisse. Anytime you need to talk, I'll be there."

The corners of her mouth twitch upwards just a fraction, but on her face it is the equivalent of a mega-watt smile. Still smiling, she turns and leaves the kitchen, a lightness in her step that hasn't been there in years.

* * *

A few hours pass, and the apartment is bustling with activity. Sally is preparing the home for the Christmas dinner that she is hosting, and Percy, Clarisse, and Annabeth have decided to help out. As they rearrange furniture, decorate, and bake, Clarisse takes on a whole new look - her real personality. She is buzzing with excitement for the holiday season, and it is rubbing off on everyone. Annabeth, noticing this drastic change began after the talk that Clarisse and Percy had earlier, pulls Percy to the side to ask him about it.

All he tells her is that the talk went well and they were able to work out a lot of their problems with each other. There is one thing he says to her that sticks with her for the rest of the evening - mainly because she's pretty sure it's a Tumblr quote, but also because it rings true deep within her.

"Be kind. Everyone you meet is fighting a battle you know nothing about."

They continue preparing for the guests to arrive, the quote circling around in Annabeth's head the entire time. Eventually, she decides that she needs to stop thinking so much and just enjoy the atmosphere - and, yeah, maybe she decides this after Percy turns to her and declares, "You think too much, Wise Girl. Just enjoy the ride." So what.

* * *

By the time dinner rolls around, everyone is starving. Sadly, they have a lot of guests over, so they can't dig into the food like they normally would. Instead, they each take a smaller portion (which for Percy is _only_ half of the food on the table).

"What?" he exclaims when they stare at him as he continues to wolf down the food. "I'm a growing boy!"

"I sure hope so," Annabeth says with a snort. "All of that food has to go somewhere."

"You want to see where it goes?" Percy questions with a wink, cracking up when Annabeth throws an empty water bottle at him.

Clarisse stands off to the side, completely immersed in the holiday spirit, as she watches the two of them bicker. She can't imagine a better Christmas than this one, surrounded by people who care about her. She doesn't even mind when after dinner, no presents are exchanged.

And when Percy does complain, Sally has a comeback all ready to go.

"Christmas isn't just a holiday where you get a bunch of presents. Christmas is about coming together as a family, as a community, and enjoying each other's presence. Christmas is about celebrating the fact that you have people that love you. Christmas isn't about the materialistic gifts. It's about the gift of life. The life you have, the life of your friends, the life of your family. That's what all of this is really about. I hope you remember that."

* * *

Two days later, Clarisse is standing on one of the platforms at Grand Central Station, waiting for her train to arrive - the train that will take her back to camp. As she waits, she reminisces about her holiday - by far the best she's ever had. And to think, it was all caused by something that really doesn't even upset her that much anymore. Just goes to show that things aren't always how they seem at first glance - and maybe not even at second or third glance either. But no matter how bad things may seem, something good is coming later on down the road. Sure, life isn't always fair - but it's a balance. And that's something that you can only learn through experience.

Clarisse steps back from the platform, takes out her phone, and dials a number.

 _Ring_

 _Ring_

 _Ring_

 _Ri-_

"Hello?"

"Hey mom...can we talk?"

 **THE**

 **END**

* * *

 **A/N - Well, this is it...the end of the story. Or is it?**

 **.**

 **.**

 **.**

 **Yeah, it probably is. But I may do an alternate ending if enough people want one. Just let me know. And let me know if you have any other prompts - holiday related or not - that you would like for me to do. Also, if you enjoyed this don't forget to leave a vote or comment - it really makes my day.**

 **Happy Holidays everyone**

 **-runwild14**


	6. IMPORTANT

I've recently entered a contest on the new Radish app. Online voting for the contest just opened up - please check my Twitter for the link to vote (runwild14)

Please go vote for "The Eye" under the Science Fiction category if you have the time.

Plus, if you do this there is a much greater incentive for me to finish these ongoing stories.

thanks a bunch

-runwild14


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